


Miki Saburō versus Okita Sōji

by Darkdorkchan (Raburabusama)



Series: Miki versus Okita [1]
Category: Hakuouki
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, Love Triangles, Mild Blood, OOC, Sloppy Makeouts, hakuouki edition xD, porn nonsense, the bold and the beautiful - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:21:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28246842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raburabusama/pseuds/Darkdorkchan
Summary: Hello from the porn nonsense dimension xD I wrote this fic as a present for my friend Himiko UwU It sprung out from both our visceral need to get double teamed by Miki and Okita <:D So that's what it is, a love triangle and at the end a threesome with my two favourite Shinsengumi hotties UwU
Relationships: Miki Saburo (Hakuouki)/Reader, Miki Saburo/Okita Souji/Reader, Okita Souji/Reader
Series: Miki versus Okita [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2069166
Comments: 16
Kudos: 11





	Miki Saburō versus Okita Sōji

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Himiko_O](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Himiko_O/gifts).



> I know this is a scenario that would ne’er e’er happen in the canon, but bear with me, or us more like, when I shamelessly lust after my two fav Shinsengumi guys <3  
> The structure of this story follows that of Diabolik Lovers versus CDs where two of the boys are pitted against each other. First they both get to go solo on you and then as the crescendo they do you together! I love them so much, and tried to emulate it in here, but as the world of Shinsengumi is pretty different than that of DL it was not easy :’D

Your day had been deceptively ordinary, filled with the kind of peace that could not last living among the Shinsengumi men and the violent lives they led in the volatile capital. You were taking some documents to Kondō, minding your own business, steps thudding gently against the hard, dark wood of the Nishi Honganji engawa polished to a fine sheen by thousands of errand runners before you. A clamor from the direction of the eastern gate shook you out of your reverie, by the sounds alone you knew a patrol that had run into some action was returning to the headquarters.

The men were still pretty far from you, but even from a distance you recognised him immediately. No other man in the entire force had such a wild mess of a midnight blue mane, no other man carried himself with the same cocksure saunter. The captain of the ninth division was returning to the base triumphant and was reveling in it with such gloat you felt its warmth all the way across the gravel covered square. What made you stop entirely, and your insides squeeze with a queer mixture of tight hotness and slight nausea was not only that, though. His pale blue patrol haori was splattered all over with the bright red of blood. A few droplets had hit him on the face, and they had been haphazardly wiped off, leaving red streaks across his beautiful features. You knew it was not his, nothing about his demeanour hinted at him being injured. He appeared more as a prideful cat bringing home his maimed prey, for his men were escorting three men bound and bloody. As he got closer you noticed how long rivulets of blood had dribbled down his exposed chest all the way beneath his amply open kimono. You could almost smell the metallic tang of death clinging onto him.

_Who knew blood would look so enticing on him_ , you caught yourself thinking as the noisy chaos of men approached, joined with more and more Shinsengumi warriors coming to greet them. _Ah, why did the bastard have to be so stupidly hot._ You could not tear your eyes off of him, and you knew you should, before–

Just as you had that thought, as if by some divine chance, Miki’s gaze shifted from the eager back-patters and congratulators to scan the rest of the yard, and your eyes met. You were there, alone on the wide engawa, staring at him forlornly like some lovesick maiden. His lips spit into the most infuriating, cocksure smirk you had ever seen on his face, like he was privy to each hot thought you had entertained about him just now.

Your first instinct should’ve probably been to avert your gaze and be on your way, not drawing any more attention to yourself, but you held his gaze defiantly. Like hell you would just skitter away like some startled mouse. The glimmer in his eyes was dangerous, but you sensed he appreciated your boldness even as his attention was drawn away from you by some other warrior wanting to hear of his exploits.

Seriously, you were such an idiot, you sighed. Surely he had seen you ogling his cleavage. This was probably going to bite you in the ass in the worst possible way. It hadn’t even been the first time you had stolen a glance at that boldly exposed chest, but definitely the first time you had been caught. Oh, why did he have to be such an infuriating dick and hated to boot by the original top brass of the Shinsengumi. … _If he weren’t, what would you have done then, ask him out for tea?_ you berated yourself.

“Watcha looking at, ne?” you nearly jumped out of your skin as the last voice you wanted to hear just now was suddenly whispering right next to your ear. Okita Sōji. The sharpest captain around and definitely just an insufferable as the other man you had just been drowning your gaze in. Never to mention just as enticing. Swallowing a very undignified yelp into a tiny squeak you stiffened as if you’d been hit by an arrow. Okita was leaning over your shoulder, having managed to tiptoe just behind you without you having the slightest idea. Leaning so close you felt his stray bangs tickle your cheek.

The small hum he made at the back of his throat told you he had understood the situation in that instant, with crystal clarity. He could’ve not said it more clearly had he just uttered it out loud: _Lusting after the trash Heisuke dragged in are we, or was it just your dumbness taking over and you were just blacking out here in the middle of work?_ You wanted to grit your teeth in annoyance at him and at yourself for being careless.

“Well, well, looks like the newbie caught some big fish,” Okita said in a conversational tone, but it was like thin silk wrapped around a blade and the dual meaning of his words did not escape you, “aren’t you going to congratulate him?”

Swallowing thickly, you replied “Hah, why me of all people, aren’t you the one who should, as a fellow captain?” you couldn’t keep a tiny barb from your voice. Okita laughed, light and quick. You still didn’t see his face and felt like turning around would’ve spelled disaster.

Clearing your throat you decided this would be the end of this, before Okita had the chance to spill out something worse, “I’m sorry but I need to get these documents to Kondō.”

“Well, you certainly shouldn’t be dilly dallying here, then.” He patted you gently on the back, but you heard the annoyance in his voice, and it chilled you to the bone. Of all the bad things to have happened in one day. 

Hastily, and despite yourself, you hazarded a glance towards the men currently dividing the prisoners for single interrogation, and realised stuff could and always would get worse. In the middle of the throng Miki was basking in his glory, but looking at you and certainly at Okita, too, as he had been a mere breath’s width from you. He had probably seen all this take place even if it had taken mere seconds. His expression was unreadable even as a smirk was still grazing his lips, his attention shifted from you to the man who had been looming behind you. You swallowed another string of curses, barely. You felt the heaviness in the air between the duo even as you started to put some distance between yourself and Okita. Like a storm was coming. 

You really had not wanted Okita to see you looking at Miki like he was a banquet laid out for you. Him the least of all the captains. The tension between the two of you, starting from the moment you first met him in the Kyōto night, sprinkled with mutual death threats and other tasty little barbs had been scary and exhilarating in equal parts. Slowly it had been escalating towards some sort of a release. At least it had been so until Heisuke had brought the new recruits along with him and messed everything up. There had been something in Miki that had caught your attention as soon as you first laid your eyes on him, even if you knew he was completely untouchable. So you had kept your feelings to yourself, knowing that trying to keep secrets from the sharp Okita had probably been a vain attempt. Now you had been caught red handed, or more like painted red all over. 

You left the ruckus behind turning a corner, pondering how hard the storm would end up hitting you.

***

A few days ended up passing without incident, and you almost allowed yourself to breathe a sigh of relief. The men Miki’s squad had caught revealed some important intel during interrogations so the whole active membership of the Shinsengumi was mobilised to thwart some plan of the rebel forces. As you were not a part of those men, it had little to do with you apart from running endless errands to and fro, not knowing what was going to go down and where.

Nevertheless, the worst of the commotion died down at the headquarters in mere days as Shinsengumi reaped the rewards of a minor victory for the shōgunate forces. You took the opportunity of no one needing you that day to take some time to practice your swordplay in private behind a smaller practice hall not many used these days. The squads had gotten so big the sword practices took place on the main yard, which suited you perfectly. As your true identity was hidden from the vast majority of the Shinsengumi men, the less attention you drew to yourself the better, but you still wanted to cling onto the small skill you had with the sword. Thus, this spot had become a favourite secret haunt of yours.

It was a balmy late spring day, one of those perfect sunny days before the rainy season would come and drench everything for weeks on end. The bokken’s weight on your hand felt just as good, as you warmed yourself up by swinging it a hundred times in the basic kata you had learned as a child.

The sword moved as a perfect part of you and you fell into a pleasant trance following the movements drilled into you. For one short moment nothing else existed for you, all your mundane worries were irrelevant, and it of course was the perfect opportunity for a disaster to strike. A disaster in the shape and height of one Miki Saburō. He had probably watched you go at it for a good while, judging by the way he was leaning relaxedly onto a pillar, before he finally raised his voice.

“You have some beautiful forms there, page boy.”

You faltered, startled by his sudden comment, it made him laugh derisively. He was in his casual garb, one shoulder of his gold embroidered over kimono hanging from his waist, leaving a enticing slice of his bicep for you to see, never to mention how sleek the rest of his arm looked in the long, grey glove he always wore. He was elegance and style embodied from the dark cord tied around his neck all the way down to the needlessly black tabi socks he wore. Glancing at them made you remember a rumour the men had been spreading about Miki, that he was so fancy even his fundoshi had to be of silk. _Wonder if it is black too…_

He interrupted your wandering eyes, and thoughts, “But they’re not going to save you in a real battle,” you felt the chiding in the marrow of your bones, no true warrior would’ve let another creep up at him like you just had. Moving smooth like a cat he walked up to you, and only then you noticed he had managed to bring along a bokken himself. Just how long had he been spying on you? This could not be a coincidence. He flashed a teasing smile at you when your gaze jumped to the bokken and back.

Belatedly you realised you had not retorted to Miki’s quip at all, but then again, you had no real come back to that, for he was absolutely right.

“Fancy a friendly bout?” he asked, swinging the bokken around a few times to test its weight and balance. You felt your mouth dry, and a very unwelcome wave of heat wash all over you. He was too close, and there was no one around to see the two of you. This was a rare, and very dangerous chance. You felt your pulse heighten, even as your stomach sank, there was no way you’d be even half a match for a swordsman of Miki’s calibre. 

Miki seemed to sense your hesitation, a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes, but before he got to tease you some more you cut him off, “Sure. I might not be much, but I’ll do my best.”

You managed to mirror some of Miki’s signature cocksure tone into your voice, as you refused to meekly admit defeat even before trying. Plus, this was an incredibly rare chance to test your mettle against someone of true skill.

“Humility is becoming of a gentleman,” Miki agreed, and you wanted to think his tone was just a tad impressed.

Putting a few more steps between the two of you he fell to his stance as easily as water falling down a stream, so fine a sight he was you had to stifle a little moan of appreciation. You had not had many chances to study his branch of Shintō Munen-ryū in action and now you’d get a chance to experience it first hand. Without the danger of getting sliced in half in the process.

“Come at me.” The authoritativeness in Miki’s voice made a shiver run through your back, and you had no reason to disobey.

The bout, or more like many consecutive bouts went just as you had expected. He was far too quick and strong for you to find even a tiny opening in his defense, and he toyed with you with a feline air of amusement. The desperate clack of wood on wood echoed in the small courtyard as you gave it your all, feeling sweat trickle down your back and seep into the bindage within your kimono keeping your chest bound. Worse than his ease was how he pointed out your flaws and all the openings in your defense, giving you sharp, painful hits of his bokken here and there. Despite your best efforts you failed to get even one hit in.

He was pushing you around the yard at his leisure, heating your blood with words almost as sharp as the jabs of his wooden blade. What you hated most was how your arousal rose with each passing moment, with each jab at your pride and your flesh. Miki seemed to notice it too, as his insufferable smirk kept going wider and wider. To your slim solace you saw sweat form on his skin, too, he wasn’t completely unaffected by your efforts.

That one split second’s distraction of his glistening skin was enough for Miki to hit your bokken to the side with a strike so strong it left your hands tingling with the impact, instead of a killing blow to your exposed torso he stepped against you and pushed. Your back hit the plastered practice hall wall with a thud that threatened to steal the breath from your lungs even though it was a gentle one. What took your breath away was how you found yourself squeezed between the hard wall and Miki’s warm, if almost equally hard, body. His free arm was pressed to the wall next to your head and he was leaning close. With a shaky breath you inhaled his scent, the incense he had used on his clothing, the dizzying mixture of his own scent and the sweat on his skin. Your heart felt like it was about to burst right out of its bone cage as a hot panic coursed through your body, the dark amusement in Miki’s purple eyes only served to heighten the terrified arousal flaring in you. This should not be happening.

“You weren’t half bad, some real promise there.” His praise ran through you like lightning, but before you had the time to recover, he went on.

“I’ve seen you skulking and gazing, _little_ page boy,” he drawled and you felt your brow crunch at little, as you were rather tall for a girl, standing head to head with many of the Shinsengumi men. It had served you well in disguising you as a young male. But he was trying to get on your nerves.

“Seen something you like?” Miki continued, relentless, “Have something to confess, maybe?” 

He pressed harder into you, and despite everything, despite the fact that he was one of the last people you were supposed to let close to you, let alone privy to your secrets, you felt your lust overpower all caution and sanity your heated brain still clung onto. You felt a hot redness rise up to your cheeks as you could no longer stifle a moan as Miki kept pressing into you, leaning closer. It was all the reply he needed.

When his soft lips found yours, your eyes went wide with surprise, you had expected ridicule and taunts from him rather than such a return of your feelings. Moaning out louder you rose to his kiss, head flooding with the sensation of him, his lips, his body, his fingers suddenly carding into your hair as he nipped your lips with his teeth, only to pry them open with his tongue to slip it between them. The kiss turned hungry then, his hand pulling your hair as the other one sneaked low to grab a hold of you as he pushed you roughly into the wall. It was delicious, the raw hunger Miki was trying to devour you with, and with you rising to the challenge, not letting him take you. The bokken fell from your hands as your arms circled his shoulders to pull him closer. Somewhere at the back of your head a distant alarm bell was ringing.

Miki finally let go of your lips to have a taste of the sweat gleaming on your neck. His bites were not gentle but you would’ve not had it any other way. The hot sweep of his tongue against your skin sent your brain reeling, all coherency scattering to the wind. It felt too good, even as he grabbed a better hold of you to angle himself between your legs to push flush against you– Suddenly the realisation hit you. _He doesn’t even know you’re not a man._

You went absolutely stiff in his arms, aghast.

“Miki. Miki!” you whispered, voice hoarse, pulling his hair – and what silky perfection it felt like slipping between your fingers – when he didn’t obey.

“We can’t, Miki.” you hissed, finally wrestling his face up, he looked dark like a storm cloud. You realised it was probably Okita he was currently thinking of, and your relationship with him. Swallowing thickly you continued before Miki truly had time to get angry.

“I–, Miki, you can’t tell anyone, but, I’m,” and you took the plunge, “I can’t do this because I’m not a man.”

He would be so disappointed, you knew. Who wouldn’t be, he was expecting a juicy page boy after all. The blank look Miki gave you would’ve been absolutely adorable under any other circumstances, but now as you waited for his inevitable fury and the end of your life here in the Shinsengumi as your secret would be out to the Itō faction, it just rent your heart.

Then, like a blossoming flower, an evil smirk spread onto his face along with the light of realisation. Miki gave you the dirtiest of his chuckles, one that went straight through you only to re-kindle the buzzing fire of arousal flaring within your hips.

“Hah, that’s rich,” and he slowly, deliberately so, forced his thigh between yours. You tried to resist, but he was too strong for you, pushing it up and in between the tingling hotness of your sex. You tried not to but failed, grinding back into the delicious pressure he gave you. Another dirty chuckle, this time right next to your ear where the hotness of his breath sent goosebumps raising all over your back.

“You think I give a shit if you’re a girl? I’ll show you the highest heaven of your life no matter what you’ve got hiding there in your hakama.” The absolute certainty in his voice was the hottest thing you had ever hoped to hear, and your arousal hit you like a tidal wave. The hands that had grabbed his shoulders to push him away now pulled him back in, you couldn’t fight it anymore, you wanted him. Wanted this glorious bastard of a man, whose beauty broke your heart and whose abrasiveness broke your sanity.

“That’s a good girl,” his tone was mocking as his words brushed against your lips before you swallowed them all into another kiss, one hungrier than the one before it. You had given yourself up for this, there was nothing left but him.

“Oi, are you here?” 

A voice from the other end of the courtyard was luckily loud enough for the both of you to register even with the heat that the two of you were going at each other. Miki froze, turning towards the sound looking once again fierce like a demon from a painting. He clicked his tongue, straightening, the both of you knew that voice. 

“Should I just show him,” he pondered out loud, not letting go of you.

“You _can’t!_ ” You hissed utterly terrorised, if Okita, or anyone at that, saw you in the arms of Miki, it would spell disaster not only to you but to him too. He gave you a sideways glance, calculating but still amused.

“Hehe, fine, I am a gentleman unlike them after all, I’ll let a lady play coy if she so wishes,” he bowed slightly stepping back from you. The temperature of your blood dropped a notch with every mention of your womanhood. You heard Okita call you again, and it made your blood run all the colder with horror, how could you face him now? Having tasted the sweet venom of Miki’s kisses, even now your lips tingled with the afterglow, and your sex throbbed with unquenched thirst. Miki was looking at you, eyes thin slits of ominous promise, and equal hunger. This was far from over, that much his eyes assured to you, even as he withdrew behind the practice hall.

Hastily you straightened your collar and reluctantly wiped the saliva from your face and neck. Taking a few calming breaths you collected your bokken and tried to find a rather normal expression to wear on your face for Okita, who was calling out your name in mock gentleness.

***

You felt like your life might never again go back to being normal as you were chopping leeks trying to swallow down the heat and taste of Miki’s lips while keeping an eye on Okita so he would not pour half a bag of salt into the miso or something. You were still reeling about everything that had happened. Just an hour ago you had been giving into your passion in the arms of Miki Saburō so totally there was no knowing how far you would’ve let things escalate had the two of you not been interrupted by the man next to you. Okita, on the other hand, had been too absorbed in being annoyed at how he was suddenly put onto kitchen duty to pay attention to your harrowed state. According to him Inoue was out of commission due to a nasty cold, and all the rest of the men seemed to be busy elsewhere. You pondered that everyone had to truly be swamped with work to let Okita into the kitchen, which was probably why Hijikata had ordered him to get you to help. Maybe with your supervision you would avoid another food poisoning epidemic from hitting the fighting force. Or at least keep the shichimi tōgarashi out of the miso soup.

You really didn’t mind the work, and normally wouldn’t certainly have minded the company either, but today it was absolutely nerve wracking to even stand so close to Okita. His playfully annoyed complaining should’ve been cute, not depressing. You felt like such a traitor, too. Next to you a huge cauldron of rice was bubbling angrily, threatening to overflow, in your muddled state you had apparently put too much wood into the fireplace, just perfect. Just looking at him was like rubbing salt to your open wounds; his green eyes sharper than a hawk’s, which had maybe just started to develop some softness and trust towards you were still breathtakingly beautiful. Despite his young age he was powerful, skilled and deadly, Shinsengumi’s pride and for so long the only one you had had to fight down a rising attraction towards. So, you averted your gaze before he saw right through to your befouled heart.

“Where have they put all the damn wakame in this place,” Okita’s voice tore you out of your wallowing, he turned towards you pouting like a kid. You couldn’t help but smile at his childishness, even while you were desperately stirring the bubbling mess and feeling sweat re-emerge on your skin with the heat.

“Ah, I think there’s some on the shelf, over there,” you craned your neck to see the higher shelves, turning from your work to see what the labels said. The bubbling of the boiling rice drowned Okita’s sharp gasp robbing you of your warning. Thus, it was completely unexpectedly that you felt Okita’s sword calloused fingers yank your kimono collar from the side. 

“Well, I thought something was off,” Okita’s voice was steely, and his gaze was on your neck, low. With tendrils of icy terror creeping up your spine you looked at him, pretty sure you knew what he saw but not certain enough to utter out any damning confessions, yet. A ghosting memory of Miki’s teeth biting into your skin flashed in your mind.

“What?” you managed, trying to pry him off, but his grip was too strong. His free hand took you by the wrist, stopping your struggles as his pale green eyes rose to meet yours. You felt the heat of the fire bite into your thighs, the two of you were dangerously close to the open fire, yet you were unable to move a muscle.

“Haa~a, is that how it is?” Okita’s eyes were cold, almost as cold as his voice when the words spilled from his lips like slices of a knife, you tried to retort but he cut you off, “I smell him on you.”

“You prowl about behind our backs,” Okita’s harsh words, his coarse tone, was so raw it had you reeling. You felt the sincere hurt in them, there was not even a hint of his usual teasing indifference anywhere. He had you by the lapels and pulled you closer with each word.

“We’re not good enough for you, so you go get your satisfaction from that garbage Heisuke just had to let in, huh?”

With sinking certainty you knew you were going to die, and die for a few kisses with Miki at that. Okita wouldn’t let any one who even might betray the Shinsengumi live, you knew him well enough to understand that. Therefore, what Okita did next took you doubly by surprise.

Because, instead of a wakizashi in the gut you got Okita’s lips smashing against your own, so suddenly and so forcefully it hurt. Nonetheless, your startled exclamation vanished into his mouth as he licked his way in between your lips. The kiss was rough and about as hungry as the one you had been stolen from just a while before. You were so stunned it took a good while to even move, a mind such a maelstrom of chaos you just broke under it. 

Okita was kissing you. 

The man you had circled with for years, throwing death threats at each other where others would’ve thrown love letters, and never would’ve you ever had imagined it would come to this. His lips were soft, kiss demanding and somehow you found your hands on his shoulders, not pushing him away but pulling him closer as you answered his kiss. You shouldn’t be doing this. Either. You should’ve not done what you had just done with _Miki of all people_ and you certainly shouldn’t be doing this with Okita only an hour afterwards. What was your life turning into? How could you want them both so much?

You heard the angry hiss of your rice boiling over, but Okita snaked his hand around your waist, biting your lower lip. His eyes were closed, you spied between lids cracked ajar. He was so pretty, so young, too. He growled against your lips as if sensing your thoughts.

“S-ssōji, the rice,” you slurred in his kiss, but he ignored you, kissing along your jaw to lick his way to your neck, to leave a mark of his own onto your skin, you were sure. You smelled the charring rice as the hissing of vapour filled the room.

“My, my, what a sight this is.” A cold voice interrupted your halfhearted struggle with Okita. To your chagrin you were the one facing the kitchen doors, so it was you who had to look Miki in the eye while Okita’s arms around you spasmed tighter.

Miki’s eyes were as cold as his voice, you saw the silent fury in them as he took in the scene of the two of you entangled with each other in front of the overboiling cauldron of rice.

“What’s it to you, Miki Saburō?” Okita asked, tone painfully conversational when he finally deemed it a good time to raise his face from the crook of your neck. He still refused to let go of you even though you tried to take a step back, just to get away from the hostile energy coursing between the two men. From your guilt.

They were both armed, naturally, and the fear of them coming to blows with each other seemed all too real as they kept staring each other down like two young bucks thirsty for blood. You wanted to stop them, if they’d draw their blades they’d both need to face the Shinsengumi’s justice. You were certainly not worthy of both their lives, but at the same time you knew anything you could say now would only serve to make things worse.

“The page wasn’t whining out your name just a while ago, I can assure you,” Miki drawled, voice a honeyed blade. You felt rather than saw Okita’s form sharpen, like a string being pulled taut. You felt the urge to correct that you had not been _whining out_ anything, or anyone’s name at that, but kept your silence.

“What’s the meaning of this!!” a bald acolyte came rushing in from the side door, pushing both you and Okita out of his way to the bubbling cauldron, “Are you all dense, standing there like dolts while our food gets ruined!”

He certainly had no fear towards neither of the captains, muttering curses to himself as he lifted the heavy thing away from the flames and stirred it violently to save the last of the rice. You were galvanised into action, jumping at the chance of breaking away from this murderous tension between the men, trying your best to help the livid acolyte save the rice. When you finally dared to turn around Miki was gone, and Okita was stirring the miso almost as if nothing had happened at all.

The salvaged rice tasted like ash in your mouth as you tried to force it down at the collective supper of the original Shieikan members you had become a customary member of. Okita was absent, to your relief and to your dread. You weren’t sure which would’ve been worse, seeing him here among his friends or this: being there alone and left to dwell on everything on your own.

With tremendous effort you managed to keep up an appearance normality with the men, but excused yourself at the first possible chance to flee that place. Off to the safety of your tiny room, to lay all night awake haunted by the sheer madness of the situation you had found yourself in. Would there be a way to solve this without anyone dying, you pondered. As the dark hours stretched you became increasingly sure that there was no salvation.

***

The events of that fateful day haunted your every waking thought for the next two days, having you jumping at shadows as you were sure you’d be ambushed by either of the men eventually. And what would happen then, well… You had no idea even when you were the one guilty of the whole mess even coming to be. Neither of the men sought you out, for which you were both grateful and fearful, there seemed to be no good way this could go.

You were mending your summer kimono, sitting under an old maple tree, and angled so your form could not be easily spotted there from the nearest engawa. You weren’t exactly hiding, but you were certainly not trying to make your spot known. The weather was surprisingly stifling for a spring evening, filled with the promise of the suffocating Kyōto summers coming your way. The air felt almost as heavy as your mood.

Distantly you hear people go to and fro on the engawa on their errands, not really paying much mind to them, the only scrap of conversation catching your attention was Sōma and Nomura bemoaning their fate as sake errand boys for captain Okita, having first had their asses kicked by the illtempred young captain in a beat up session thinly veiled as sword practice. It made your chest ache.

This oppressive calm before the inevitable storm was tearing your nerves into shreds. You couldn’t take this for long, you knew. Soon you’d need to do something before the whole Shinsengumi would go down in flames as those two would clash. As if on cue you heard the rumble of thunder not too far from you and realised the sky was quickly being engulfed by black clouds. Clicking your tongue in annoyance you decided to take your work to your private room. If it was going to rain this mess would certainly not go anywhere tonight, you thought.

And how wrong you were.

TBC…

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this far UwU<3 I’d love some feedback! I know this is a bit of a weird fic so I’m even more interested in hearing people’s thoughts than usual :D I’ll try to get the main part done before the end of the year >:3c


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